One for the books as Charlie voted tops
Galway’s very own Charlie Byrne’s bookshop on Middle Street has won a coveted place in The Best Shops in Ireland competition, the only business outside the east coast to be among the ten overall winners.
The competition run by the Irish Times is the second annual celebration of the country’s independent retailers and winners were selected from among 600 shops and 3,400 nominations by the public.
For the signature Galway shop in the Cornstore Mall, beloved by locals, students and tourists alike and boasting no less than 10,000 dusty and new volumes, it is a huge vote of confidence for what is a dying breed.
Nowadays bookshops are a rare sight indeed on the High Street as book lovers order from Amazon or get their fix online directly onto their e-reader.
“We have a very loyal customer base,” insists manager Vinny Browne. “They told us that some people had written novellas almost when they were nominating us, so enthusiastic were they.”
The staff of ten is delighted by the accolade, which they see as a vindication of all their hard work and the very deliberate ethos adopted by the business.
The brainchild of archaeologist Charlie Byrne, the native of Longford had wanted to open up a bookshop since he was a boy.
His love of books was nurtured by his father, who ran a concrete block business in Ballymahon. A great reader, Charlie Senior spent hours collecting books and would take him along while he trawled for treasures in the proliferation of second hand shops along the Quays in Dublin.
“I always had this idea for a bookshop – it should be comfortable to browse in, the prices would be right, it was important that it would be a second hand shop. I would make it attractive for people to be in,” says Charlie.
Orna Mulcahy editor of the Irish Times Magazine, said it was clear from the nominations that what people really want is a shop where they are made to feel welcome, whether they are buying a stamp or a new coat.
“Scores of votes poured in for stores where the owner remembers your name, knows what you like, and makes you feel welcome, knows what suits you . . . and offers more than just a point of sale.”
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.